I just got done crying. I just watched a video of a mother beating an eight month old baby. I have so many emotions right now. I have seen other videos caregivers abusing elderly people and disabled children. I don’t know if it is because I am a mother now or the fact the video was over four minutes long but this video affected me greatly.

I don’t understand. In the video a mother is on a bed kicking, pinching and throwing objects at the defenseless 8 month old. Another person is video taping it. According to news reports, the person taping the act is pleading with the mother to stop but never intervenes. The event happened in Malaysia. The mother has been charged and jailed for eighteen months. That is not enough in my opinion.

I have had to tell my son no a few times and sometimes he just looks at me and cries. It breaks my heart a little but I know I am telling him no for his own safety. After watching the video I started thinking about my own mother.

My mother abandoned me in an apartment when I was under a year old. I still do not know the reason. After seeing the video I am somewhat relieved that my mother left me. Obviously I was too much for her to handle for some reason. I am glad that she left me and I ended up having a great life. After watching this horrific video I realize my life could have been much worse.

My husband’s family used to shop at the same store as Andrea Yates. Yates was the woman who drowned her five children in 2001. Yates claimed she suffering with severe postpartum depression. I still think about that horrific event.

I don’t know if the person that videotaped the mother beating her child did it to turn her in but I am glad the person did videotape it.

In life sometimes you think you have a raw deal. We have people in our lives that are rude, inconsiderate, or selfish. It could be a lot worse. I have spent a lot time wondering about my real mother and the reason she left me. I am going to be grateful from here on out that I am still alive. My fate could have been a lot worse. I urge everyone to take a moment to be grateful even if your life isn’t perfect.